Cargo tightener and strap collector

ABSTRACT

A cargo tightener and strap collector is shown having a rotatable shaft provided on the lever portion of the cargo tightener and strap collector. A slot is provided in the shaft so that the free end of a strap may be inserted in the slot and wound on the shaft to secure the strap and prevent its fluttering in the wind or trailing on the ground while in use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Letters patentapplication Ser. No. 11/227,313, filed on Sep. 15, 2005, for CargoTightener and Strap Collector. application Ser. No. 11/227,313 ispending as of the filing date of the present application. applicationSer. No. 11/227,313 is specifically incorporated herein in its entirety,and priority thereto is claimed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a device for collection and storage ofthe free, non-active, portion of a strap of a manually operated cargotightener which is used to secure cargo to be transported.

2. Description of the Related Art

The typical prior art cargo tightener, which is modified to make thepresent invention, includes a shaft provided at one end of a connectinglink or arm. The shaft is journaled in one end of the connecting arm,thus providing for rotatable attachment of a lever to the connectingarm. A first, or short, strap is firmly secured to a bolt or pin in theother end of the connecting arm, and has at its free end, a hook orother device for attachment to a vehicle transporting the cargo.

A second strap has a hook or other device at one of its ends. The hookis attached to the transportation vehicle. The other end, or free ornon-active end, of the second strap is inserted through a slot in therotatable shaft. A ratchet arrangement permits tightening of the strapby back and forth movement of the lever with respect to the connectinglink. Because the connecting arm or link is held firmly in place by thefirst strap, the second strap tightens down over the cargo. The cargotightener is conventional and, therefore, will riot be described in anygreat detail except with regard to the modification of the lever toprovide the strap collector portion of the present invention.

A common problem when using the above mentioned cargo tightener withtensioning straps concerns the handling of the free end of the strap notused when securing the cargo. This strap portion has to be thoroughlysecured to the cargo in order not to flutter in the encountering wind,or to trail on the ground, both cases leading to a hasty soiling andwearing down of the strap. Further, a freely fluttering strap is adanger to traffic, particularly in connection with the wider 24 to 30foot long straps used professionally by haulage contractors.

Many attempts to solve these problems are known in the prior art. USPatent Publication No. US 2004/0094650 A1 to Huang, shows a strapfastener system including a strap fastener for fastening a belt, and awinding device for winding the strap. The winding device includes ahousing which is attached to a connecting arm portion of the typicalprior art cargo tightener. A reel is put in the housing for winding thestrap, and a torque spring is arranged between the reel and the controldevice for automatically rotating the reel in the non-rotationalposition of the control device.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,520 to Söderström, shows a strap collector which isdesigned to be attached to the connecting arm of a standard cargotightener. The strap collector includes a magazine for the protectionand storage of the long tensioning strap of the cargo tightener whenwound to the shaft of the strap collector.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,609,275 B1 to Lin, shows a strap tightener with an autopulling device connected to a seat. The auto pulling device includes ahousing and a reversing device. The reversing device is rotatablyreceived in the housing. The housing would correspond to a connectingarm portion of a prior art cargo tightener.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,371 to Wyers, shows a strap tensioning andcollection device having a variable length strap and a fixed lengthstrap operatively associated with the strap storage section, and a straptensioning section.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,721 to Smetz, et al. shows a device for connectingcomponents to a belt.

German Offenlegungsschrift DE 36 39 712 A1 to Kinnert, shows atensioning ratchet, in particular for belts, which is equipped with aratchet body having a retaining bolt for fastening a safety belt, andhaving a ratchet lever which is mounted at the other end of the ratchetbody so as to be rotatable about the axle of a slotted roller forfastening the end of a tensioning belt to be wound thereon.

All of the above devices perform generally satisfactorily, but share theproblem of relatively high costs and difficulty of manufacture. Inaddition, they are rather bulky. Thus, those skilled in the artcontinued their search for a better cargo tightener and strap collector.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the present invention is to provide a cargo tightener andstrap collector which is more cost effective compared with prior artdevices, is less bulky, and is easier to manufacture. This isaccomplished by having the strap collector on the lever portion of thecargo tightener, rather than on the connecting arm segment, as in theprior art. The advantages of this will become apparent by a carefulreading of the detailed description, with appropriate reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts in theseveral views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is to be described in more detail below using exemplaryembodiments.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art cargo tightener.

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of a cargo loaded on a platformshowing how the prior art cargo tightener of FIG. 1 is fastened to holda load in position, and illustrating the free end or tail of the ratchetstrap that is left to be dealt with after the cargo tightener istightened to the desired extent.

FIG. 3 is a view similar in part to FIG. 2, but illustrating the use ofa construction embodying the present invention, and showing how theproblem of the ratchet strap tail is solved by the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a construction embodying the presentinvention with the cargo straps attached.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the construction of FIG. 4 in its openposition.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the construction of FIG. 4 in its closedposition, with one of the ratchet straps removed for clarity.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modification of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the construction shownin FIG. 7 illustrating how the ratchet strap is fed through the device.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of the construction shownin FIG. 7, illustrating how the ratchet strap tail may be wound on thehandle by turning the right hand knob, as long as the left hand knob hasnot been tightened.

FIG. 10 is a view, similar in part to FIG. 9, illustrating how the righthand knob can not be turned further once the left hand knob is tightenedagainst the sidewall, thus securing the ratchet tail in place duringtransport of a load.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a prior art cargo tightener andstrap collector, generally designated by the numeral 10. The cargotightener and strap collector 10 comprises a connecting arm or link 12,and a lever or arm 14. A strap 15 is provided with a hook 16 at one endthereof for connection to a transportation vehicle (not shown). Theother end of strap 15 is firmly held to connecting arm 12 by pin 17.Reciprocal motion of lever 14 using handle 18 will cause shaft 19 torotate due to the ratchet and pawl assembly 13.

With reference to FIG. 2, there is shown the prior art cargo tightenerand strap collector 10 in a typical use situation, attached to a cargoplatform 11, usually of a movable type, and tightened about a load L tosecure or tighten it in position. While the cargo platform is usually ofthe movable type, such as a trailer which may be pulled by a truck ortractor, cargo tightener and strap collector 10 may also be used tosecure stationary loads.

While strap 15 causes no problem in the art, as when tightened on theload 11, it is always held taught by virtue of the hook 16 and the pin17 when under tension, the same is not true of second strap 15A. Secondstrap 15A has at one end a second hook 16A attached to cargo platform11. The other end of second strap 15A is threaded through an opening orslot 19A in shaft 19, which is caused to rotate by reciprocal motion oflever 14 using handle 18. This will cause shaft 19 to rotate due to theratchet and pawl assembly 13. While a portion of second strap 15Aintermediate its' ends will wind around shaft 19, a large portion ortail 15B will remain loose, and must be secured for safe transit of load13.

The securing of ratchet strap tail 15B is a serious problem in the artas there is no readily available and cost effective place to store it.Usually the person placing the load 13 on platform 16 will simply windthe tail 15B around a portion of second strap 15A. Many times the tail15B will be tied in a loose knot around the second strap 15A. No matterwhat solution is tried, the tail 15B frequently becomes loose duringtransit of the load 13 and flaps in the breeze as the load L istransported down the road, causing a hazard to surrounding drivers andpedestrians. Since many cargo tighteners are usually needed to secureload 13 to platform 11, many tails 15B may be causing a hazard at thesame time.

Referring to FIG. 3, the present invention relates to a modification ofthe prior art lever or arm 14 to solve the problems of the prior art.For purposes of understanding, new reference numerals are used whenreferring to the present invention. It can be seen that the improvedcargo tightener and strap collector 20 now provides for storage of thestrap, now referred to by the numeral 50, on the arm or lever 24. Thereis provided a ready and secure place for storage of the tail 50A in theform of roll 52, eliminating the problems of the prior art in a mannerto be fully described hereinafter.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-6, the present invention relates to an improvedcargo tightener and strap collector, generally designated by the numeral20. An improved apparatus for tightening and collecting a strap, orstrap collector, or combination cargo tightener and strap collector 20,includes a connecting arm or link 22 and a lever 24. Connecting arm 22extends in a longitudinal direction, and may be substantially similar tothe connecting arm 12 shown in the prior art construction of FIG. 1. Itis a modification to the lever of the prior art construction, identifiedby the numeral 24, which provides a novel cargo tightener and strapcollector 20. As with the prior art, there is provided a first shaft 26journaled for rotation in one, or first, end 22A of the connecting arm22. At the other, or second, end 22B of the connecting arm 22 isprovided a pin 23, to which a first, or short, strap 25 is attached. Afirst hook or fastening means or fastening device 27 is attached to theother end of the strap 25. In use, the hook 27 will be attached to thetransportation vehicle on which the cargo being tightened is beingtransported.

As in the prior art devices, reciprocal rotation of the lever 24 willcause co-rotation of the first shaft 26. Journals for first shaft 26, aswell as second shaft 40, are provided by opposed apertures provided in afirst pair of spaced apart sidewalls 36 provided in connecting arm 22,and a second pair of spaced apart sidewalls 37 in the lever 24. A secondshaft 40 has provided therein second slot 42 (FIG. 4) to accept a freeend, i.e., the end without the second hook 54, of a second belt 50, ashereinafter described.

At least a first portion 40A of shaft 40 may extend beyond at least oneof the second pair of sidewalls 37 (FIG. 2) so that a knob 44 may beattached thereto for rotation of the second shaft 40. In the preferredembodiment, a first portion and a second portion (40A, 40B) of thesecond shaft 40 will extend beyond the second pair of spaced apartsidewalls 37, and a knob 44 will be attached to each portion of thesecond shaft.

Reciprocal rotation of the lever 24 will cause co-rotational rotation ofthe first shaft 26 by virtue of a pair of ratchet wheels 60 which aremounted on the first shaft 26 between the first pair of sidewalls 36 andthe second pair of spaced apart sidewalls 37. It is preferred that tworatchet wheels 60 be used, although one may possibly be used. Pawl 61aides in the rotation of the first shaft 26 by operating on the ratchetwheel 60. The pawl 61 is spring loaded and slides in a pair of opposedslots 64 (FIG. 4) in the second pair of opposed sidewalls 37.

Second, or long, strap 50 is provided having second hook 54 provided atone end thereof. The free or non-active end of strap 50, so referred tobecause it has no connection to second hook 54, is first passed throughfirst slot 32 and then inserted in second slot 42 (FIG. 4). Second shaft40 is then rotated, with the aid of knobs 44, to roll up free end ofstrap 50 into a roll 52.

In use second hook 54, and second strap 50, are completely unrolled andremoved from second shaft 40. Second hook 54 is attached to thetransportation vehicle on which the cargo is to be transported, at theappropriate location. The free end of the strap 50 is placed throughfirst slot 32 in first shaft 26, and the lever 24 is reciprocallyrotated, causing co-rotational movement of the first shaft 26. Since thefirst strap 50 is inserted in the first slot 32, and the connecting arm22 is restrained by the first strap 25 and the first hook 27, the cargotightener and strap collector 20 is tightened down on the cargo. At thispoint, the free end of the second strap 50 is inserted in the secondslot 42 in the second shaft 40 and the knobs 44 are rotated to take upany slack in the strap before the cargo is transported.

Alternately, the free end of the strap of the second strap 50 may beleft inserted in the second slot 42 in the second shaft 40, and thesecond strap 50 along with second hook 54 may be pulled out, causing theroll 52 to unwind until the second hook 54 may be attached to thetransportation vehicle in the appropriate spot. The lever 24 is thenreciprocally rotated causing co-rotational movement of the first shaft26, and the tightening of the cargo tightener and strap collector 20 onthe cargo (not shown) in the manner previously described. Any slack inthe second strap 50 is taken up by rotating the knob or knobs 44 untilthe slack is removed.

In order to provide clearance for the roll 52 so that it does not strikethe cargo being transported, the lever 24 is provided with a firstsubstantially linearly extending portion 70, and a second linearlyextending portion 71 extending at an angle with respect to the firstportion 70, thus elevating the roll 52 away from the cargo by elevatingthe second shaft 40 away from the cargo.

If it is desired to have the linearly and angularly extending portions71 of the second pair of sidewalls 37 be further apart proximate theroll 52, a pair of diverging portions 72 of the second pair of sidewalls37 may be interposed between the first linearly extending portion 70 andthe second linearly and angularly extending portion 71 of each of saidsecond pair of sidewalls 37.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-10, there is illustrated a modification of thepresent invention which locks the roll 52 positively in position on thearm or lever 24 of our cargo tightener and strap collector, nowgenerally indicated by the numeral 55 for ease of understanding. This isaccomplished by a modification to shaft 40 and knobs 44 described inregard to FIGS. 4-6. In this modification of the invention, threadedshaft 80 is used in place of the second shaft 40. Threaded shaft 80 maybe hollow, or at least partially hollow, and may have internal orexternal threads for the purposes described below. In the preferredembodiment, threaded shaft 80 is hollow, and has an aperture, opening,or hollow portion 82. Aperture 82 may include first portion or firstthreaded portion 84, and second portion or second threaded portion 86,of threaded shaft 80. Threaded shaft 80 will still have slot 42 providedtherein to receive ratchet tail 50A in the manner described above.

First threaded portion 84 and second threaded portion 86 of threadedshaft 80 may be of the same or different diameters, as desired. It ispreferable that the apertures in the second pair of sidewalls 37 beslightly larger than the diameter of the adjacent threaded portions(84,86) of the threaded shaft 80 to accept a first threaded fastener 88and a second threaded fastener 90. In the illustrated embodiment, thefirst threaded fastener 88 is of a smaller diameter than the secondthreaded fastener 90, so the first sidewall aperture 37A is of a smallerdiameter that the second sidewall aperture 37B, and both are larger thantheir respective fasteners to allow free rotation of first threadedfastener 88 and a second threaded fastener 90 with respect to theassociated aperture.

First threaded fastener 88, which may be of any type well known in theart, is secured for non-rotation with respect to first rotatable knob 92by any known means. In other words, when first rotatable knob 92 isrotated, first threaded fastener 88 rotates. First threaded fastener 88is also fixed with regard to first threaded portion 84 of threaded shaft80. Since first sidewall aperture 37A is larger than first threadedfastener 88, and first threaded fastener 88 is fixed with regard tofirst rotatable knob 92 and first threaded portion 84, when firstrotatable knob 92 is rotated, threaded shaft 80 will rotate as long assecond rotatable knob 94 is not tightened against a sidewall 37.

Second threaded fastener 90 is also fixed with regard to its' respectivethreaded portion (second threaded portion 86) of aperture 82. However,second rotatable knob 94 is not fixed with respect second threadedfastener 90 but, instead, is able to rotate with respect thereto becausesecond rotatable knob 94 has a threaded aperture 96 with threadscomplementary to those found on second threaded fastener 90. Thus,rotation of second rotatable knob 94 will move it toward and away fromrespective sidewall 37. In operation, second rotatable knob 94 ispositioned in its loosened position, as shown in FIG. 9. Ratchet tail50A is inserted in slot 42, and first rotatable knob 92 is rotated,which rotates threaded shaft 80, which causes ratchet tail 50A to bewound on threaded shaft 80 until it is wound up to form roll 52. At thispoint, second rotatable knob 94 is rotated until it is tight againstsidewall 37, and sidewall 37 is tight against hollow shaft 80, thuspreventing any further rotation of the threaded shaft 80 by the firstrotatable knob 92. Since the free end of strap 50 (ratchet tail 50A) wasinserted into slot 42, and the remainder of strap 50 was wound on top ofratchet tail 50A before second rotatable knob 94 was tightened, there isno loose portion of the strap 50 to come undone and cause the dangersposed by the prior art cargo tighteners.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the use of threadedfasteners and knobs, as any rotation mechanism by which the threadedshaft 80 can be rotated, and then selectively be prevented fromrotation, is well within the scope of the present invention. Manyrotation mechanisms and/or rotation means are known in the art which aresuitable for use in the present invention.

For example, the threaded shaft 80 journaled for rotation between thesecond pair of spaced apart sidewalls 37 of the lever 24 may have afirst threaded portion 84 to accept a first rotation mechanism 98, and asecond threaded portion 86 to accept a second rotation mechanism 100.The first means of rotation 98 is operable to rotate the threaded shaft80, and the second means of rotation 100 is operable to restrain orpermit rotation of the threaded shaft 80. The use of any motion transfermeans whereby rotary motion is transformed into axial motion is wellwithin the skill of the art.

Thus, by carefully considering the problems in the prior art devices, wehave provided a novel cargo tightener and strap collector which issimpler in construction, easier to manufacture and less costly thanprior art devices.

1. An apparatus for tightening and collecting a strap, comprising: a) acargo tightening portion comprising: i) a connecting arm extending in alongitudinal direction, the connecting arm having a pair of spaced apartsidewalls; ii) a lever pivotally journaled in the connecting arm by afirst shaft, the first shaft having a first slot for introducing the endof a strap, the first shaft being operable for co-rotational movementwith the lever for tightening the strap; and b) a strap collectorportion comprising a second shaft journaled for rotation between thespaced apart sidewalls of the lever, the second shaft having a secondslot therein to accept the end of the strap after the strap is tightenedon the cargo.
 2. A strap collector comprising: a) a connecting armextending in a longitudinal direction, the connecting arm having a pairof spaced apart sidewalls; b) a lever pivotally journaled in theconnecting arm by a first shaft, the firs shaft having a first slot forintroducing the end of a strap, the first shaft being operable forco-rotational movement with the lever for tightening the strap; and c) asecond shaft journaled for rotation between the spaced apart sidewallsof the connecting arm, the second shaft having a second slot therein toaccept the end of the strap after the strap is tightened on the cargo.3. A combination cargo tightener and strap collector comprising: a) aconnecting arm extending in a longitudinal direction, the connecting armhaving a pair of spaced apart sidewalls; b) a lever pivotally journaledin the connecting arm by a first shaft, the first shaft having a firstslot for introducing the end of a strap, the first shaft being operablefor co-rotational movement with the lever for tightening the strap, thelever having a second pair of spaced apart sidewalls; and c) a secondshaft journaled for rotation between the second pair of spaced apartsidewalls of the lever, the second shaft having a second slot therein toaccept the end of the strap after the strap is tightened on the cargo.4. The combination cargo tightener and strap collector defined in claim3, wherein a first portion of the second shaft extends past at least oneof the second pair of sidewalls of the lever.
 5. The combination cargotightener and strap collector defined in claim 4, further comprisingturning aid means mounted to the first portion of the second shaftextending past at least one of the second pair of sidewalls of thelever.
 6. The combination cargo tightener and strap collector defined inclaim 5, wherein each one of the second pair of sidewalls of the levercomprises a straight portion and a portion extending at an angle to thestraight portion.
 7. The combination cargo tightener and strap collectordefined in claim 6, further comprising at least one toothed ratchetwheel fixedly mounted to the first shaft between the first pair ofspaced apart sidewalls and the second pair of spaced apart sidewalls. 8.The combination cargo tightener and strap collector defined in claim 7,further comprising a pawl mounted to the lever for reciprocal movementto engage and disengage from the at least one toothed ratchet wheel. 9.The combination cargo tightener and strap collector defined in claim 8,wherein each one of the second pair of sidewalls of the lever comprisesa first linearly extending portion and a second linearly extendingportion extending at an angle to the first, linearly extending, portion.10. The combination cargo tightener and strap collector defined in claim9, wherein each one of the second pair of sidewalls of the levercomprises a diverging portion between the first linearly extendingportion, and the second linearly extending, portion, whereby the secondlinearly extending portion of the second pair of sidewalls is spacedapart further than the first linearly extending portion of the secondpair of sidewalls.
 11. The combination cargo tightener and strapcollector defined in claim 5, wherein the turning aid means comprises aknob mounted to them first portion of the shaft extending past the atleast one of the second pair of sidewalls of the lever.
 12. Thecombination cargo tightener and strap collector defined in claim 11,further comprising a second portion of the second shaft extending pastthe other of the second pair of sidewalls of the lever and a knobmounted to the second portion of the second shaft.
 13. The combinationcargo tightener and strap collector defined in claim 8, wherein the pawlis mounted in a slot in the lever.
 14. An apparatus for tightening andcollecting a strap, comprising: a) A cargo tightening portioncomprising: i) a connecting arm extending in a longitudinal direction,the connecting arm having a pair of spaced apart sidewalls; ii) a leverpivotally journaled in the connecting arm by a first shaft, the firstshaft having a first slot for introducing the end of a strap, the firstshaft being operable for co-rotational movement with the lever fortightening the strap and having a second pair of spaced apart sidewalls;and b) a strap collector portion comprising a threaded shaft journaledfor rotation between the second pair of spaced apart sidewalls of thelever, the threaded shaft having a slot therein to accept the end of thestrap after the strap is tightened on the cargo, a first rotatable knoboperable to rotate the threaded shaft, and a second rotatable knoboperable to selectively secure the threaded shaft from further rotation.15. A strap collector comprising: a) a connecting arm extending in alongitudinal direction, the connecting arm having a pair of spaced apartsidewalls; b) a lever pivotally journaled in the connecting arm by afirst shaft, the first shaft having a first slot for introducing the endof a strap, the first shaft being operable for co-rotational movementwith the lever for tightening the strap; the lever having a second pairof spaced apart sidewalls, and c) a threaded shaft journaled forrotation between the second pair of spaced apart sidewalls of the lever,the threaded shaft having a second slot therein to accept the end of thestrap, a first portion to accept a first rotation mechanism, and asecond portion to accept a second rotation mechanism, the first rotationmechanism being operable to rotate the threaded shaft, and the secondrotation mechanism being operable to selectively restrain or permitrotation of the threaded shaft.
 16. A combination cargo tightener andstrap collector comprising: a) a connecting arm extending in alongitudinal direction, the connecting arm having a pair of spaced apartsidewalls; b) a lever pivotally journaled in the connecting arm by afirst shaft, the first shaft having a first slot for introducing the endof a strap, the first shaft being operable for co-rotational movementwith the lever for tightening the strap, the lever having a second pairof spaced apart sidewalls; and c) a threaded shaft journaled forrotation between the second pair of spaced apart sidewalls of the lever,the threaded shaft comprising: i) a second slot therein to accept theend of the strap after the strap is tightened on the cargo; ii) a firstthreaded portion provided at one end thereof; iii) a second threadedportion provided at the other end thereof; iv) a first rotationmechanism cooperating with the first threaded portion to rotate thethreaded shaft, thereby causing the strap to be wound on the secondshaft; and v) a second rotation mechanism cooperating with the secondthreaded portion to restrain or stop rotation of the second shaft. 17.The combination cargo tightener and strap collector defined in claim 16,wherein the first threaded portion of the threaded shaft comprises: a) afirst internal thread axially aligned with the threaded shaft; and b) afirst threaded fastener fixedly restrained in the first internal thread.18. The combination cargo tightener and strap collector defined in claim17, wherein the first rotation mechanism comprises a first rotatableknob fixedly connected to the first threaded fastener to rotate thethreaded shaft when the first rotatable knob is rotated.
 19. Thecombination cargo tightener and strap collector defined in claim 16,wherein the second threaded portion of the threaded shaft comprises: a)a second internal thread axially aligned with the threaded shaft; and b)a second threaded fastener fixedly restrained in the second internalthread.
 20. The combination cargo tightener and strap collector definedin claim 17, wherein the second rotation mechanism comprises a secondrotatable knob rotatably mounted to the second threaded fastener forreciprocal lateral movement along the axis of the second threadedfastener